1970 Chevrolet Nova

1970 Chevrolet Nova SS 396 — Big Block 4-Speed with Cowl Induction


Why This Car Is Special

The 1970 Chevrolet Nova SS 396 occupies a specific and well-earned place in the muscle car era. While the Chevelle and Camaro got most of the press, Chevrolet engineers understood that dropping a big block into a lighter, smaller body produced a very different kind of performance car — one that was harder to dismiss at the strip and easier to park anywhere else. The Nova's X-body platform weighed significantly less than the Chevelle's A-body, which meant the 396 cubic inch Turbo-Jet V8 had considerably less mass to motivate. The result was a car that ran quicker than its sticker price suggested and competed directly with machinery costing far more.

The VIN on this car decodes to confirm it was built at the Willow Run, Michigan assembly plant in 1970, with the SS package and the 396 engine as factory-installed equipment. The engine code points to the L78 specification — the 375 horsepower version of the 396 — which was the most powerful naturally aspirated big block offered in the Nova SS that year. Chevrolet offered the 396 in the Nova SS in three states of tune for 1970: 350 hp, 375 hp, and a solid-lifter 375 hp version. The 375 hp hydraulic-lifter L78 that lives in this car is the high-output variant most buyers were after, rated at 415 lb-ft of torque. It is paired with the close-ratio 4-speed manual transmission, which was the correct combination for buyers who wanted maximum performance rather than convenience.

The 1970 model year was the final year Chevrolet marketed the engine displacement as '396.' The actual displacement had been quietly bored to 402 cubic inches starting in 1970, but Chevrolet continued to badge these cars as 396s for that model year because the 396 name carried weight with buyers. The badging on this car accurately reflects how it left the factory.


Features List

396ci Turbo-Jet L78 375hp Big Block V8
Close-Ratio 4-Speed Manual Transmission
Factory SS Package
Cowl Induction Hood
Black Vinyl Top
Center Console
Dashboard Tachometer
SS Steering Wheel
Dual Exhaust
Chrome Front and Rear Bumpers
Woodgrain Door Panels
Magnum 500-Style Wheels
Goodyear Polyglas Tires
Clean Undercarriage


Mechanical

The 396 Turbo-Jet under the cowl induction hood is the L78 variant, rated at 375 horsepower and 415 lb-ft of torque from the factory. This engine used solid valve springs, an aggressive hydraulic camshaft, an 800 cfm Holley four-barrel carburetor, and 11.0:1 compression. It was not a subtle engine. Chevrolet built it for buyers who wanted to use it. The cowl induction hood feeds cooler, denser outside air directly into the carburetor from the high-pressure area at the base of the windshield, a system that provided a measurable intake charge advantage over a standard hood setup.

The 4-speed manual transmission is the correct companion to the L78. When this combination was new, Car and Driver and other publications consistently tested similarly equipped Novas in the high 13-second range in the quarter mile, with 60 mph arriving in under six seconds — numbers that placed the Nova SS 396 ahead of many better-known competitors. The undercarriage photographs show a solid, clean structure with no visible rust or patch repair, which matters considerably when evaluating a car of this age from any part of the country, but especially so for cars with an unknown history.


Interior

The black vinyl interior is correct and well-suited to a car spec'd at this level. The center console runs between the bucket seats and houses the shifter for the 4-speed, keeping the mechanical relationship between driver and drivetrain as direct as it should be. The dashboard tachometer is mounted in the instrument cluster, giving the driver accurate engine speed information without requiring an aftermarket pod on the column or dash. The SS steering wheel — a specific option for the Super Sport package — provides a smaller diameter